Filmoteca: One of my pastimes in Albacete

One of my biggest issues with Spanish culture is the complete lack of original version films at the local movie theaters. They are all dubbed with very fake-sounding, deep Spaniard Spanish voices. So, unless I'm in a big city like Madrid or Barcelona, there is no possible way to watch a movie in English.

My only option is to visit the old movie theater in the main square of the city. The filmoteca is located in the Cine Capitol, a movie theater built in the 1930s.  Over a decade ago it was transformed in what we call now the filmoteca and plays all films in original version with Spanish subtitles. Whether the film is French, American or Italian, it is heard in the real language.

Cine Capitol many, many years ago

The entrance to the theater and where they display their current showings

 While in regular movie theaters tickets cost between 7 - 9€, the filmoteca is a steal at 1.5 - 2€. The only drawback is that new releases are not shown; mostly old, classic films but some recent ones that were in theaters a year or two ago. 

At the end of each month the theater releases its program for the following month, usually containing a theme. For example in November they are paying a tribute to Marilyn Monroe and showing a few of the films she starred in. Some past themes include tributes to famous directos or to a particular country.

Last night I went with a friend to watch The Seven Year Itch, one of  Marilyn Monroe's most famous films. Because snacks are not sold in this theater, I snuck in a protein bar but other times I’ve brought in entire bags of chips and candy to share with others.

Marilyn Monroe in The Seven-Year Itch

Iconic scene from the film

Sometimes I go with one friend and some films we end up being 12 people. It's a nice option to have on any night of the week and for 1.5€ it’s the cheapest thing to do in this city that doesn’t include drinking.

Movie-goers waiting in line outside the theater

Pero que haces aquí?!

Whenever I meet new people here they're curious to find out why an American girl from Miami, FL is living in this small Spanish city.

So what exactly brought me to Albacete?

Well over two years ago in my first blog entry I wrote about the scholarship/grant I had applied for to teach English in the bilingual sections of public schools in Spain. That government-funded program sent me to a secondary school (here it's 7th - 12th grade) in Albacete, and I was there for two years working with the teachers and 7^th – 9^th grade students.

The job was pretty easy. It consisted of working 12-13 hours a week in the bilingual classrooms. Each grade takes English and in addition to that they also take three subjects taught in English. Some classes I worked in were Natural Science, Art and Biology.

In English class we usually played games and did interactive activities where the students were forced to speak and practice their English. Some days I gave a presentation about my life or American culture topics such as Thanksgiving Day, Black History month and High School life to name a few. The students were usually curious about what life in the States really is.

The other hours were dedicated to helping the teachers of other subjects. Depending on the teacher and the subject my involvement in the class differed. In art for example, we paid extra attention to improving the students’ pronunciation of the vocabulary they were learning. I would walk around and ask the students to explain in their own words what assignment they were working on. But in one of the science classes I was in charge of teaching the lesson. Sometimes it involved a worksheet and some exercises related to what they were studying. Here we would practice reading aloud, reading comprehension and most of all practicing their speaking skills. If at any moment I wasn’t sure about what to ask or where to take the lesson, the teacher sat in the back and helped me lead the class.

On my last day at IES Universidad Laboral

One of my students participating in a Thanksgiving Day activity
(I would like to post more pictures of me in the classroom but in Spain it's illegal to post pictures of minors) 

Because the job consisted of working for a few hours in the mornings I had plenty of extra time to give private classes. Some were with my own students at the high school while others were with teenagers whose mom or dad got my number from some other mom or dad. By the second year I was refusing new students every other week because I simply didn’t have the time to give more classes.

Most of the students in the bilingual section understand a lot of what I’m saying and can actually carry on a conversation in English. Some days I visited English classes in the non-bilingual sections and I saw for myself the impact the bilingual section and native speakers have on the students. In the other classes the students are rarely forced to speak English. Most of the curriculum consists of grammar and rephrasing. Basically a student can translate a whole piece of text but were incapable of having a conversation about what they did that past weekend.

this is a joke describing how some English-learning students can be

I was lucky to be in the same school both years. This allowed me to get to know the teachers and especially the students and watch them improve their English. I got the chance to work alongside some really great teachers who really love what they do.

Unfortunately, by the end of my second year the government had announced that they intended to cut the program for the following year due to the budget cuts in the education sector.

banners made by my seventh graders

A sign made by a student on the last day of my first year at the school

I didn’t want to end my work in teaching ESL so I’ve decided to do my Masters in English in Secondary schools. This will allow me to work in semi-private and public schools (if I take the state exam called the oposición). The masters lasts one year and consists of the first semester taking classes and the second semester interning at a public school for a few months and then presenting a final project.  I’m halfway done with my classes and eager to begin the ones that pertain to my specialty, English.

"Albacete, the best city in the world."

The title for this entry is a quote from one of my good and first Albaceteño friends, Julian. Ironically though, he said it while eating lunch at Potbelly’s (or was it Poboys?) in Tallahassee over five years ago before I had ever even visited Albacete. I laughed at his comment because I had never heard anything about this Spanish city but for some reason the comment stuck with me after all these years.

Albacete is the name of the province and capital city where I live in Spain. It’s located in one of the country’s largest autonomous communities, Castilla La Mancha. The region is best known for it’s plain landscapes, being the setting for Miguel de Cervantes’ novel Don Quixote and it’s Manchego cheese.

Albacete capital has a population of about 170,000 and is the most populous city in the region, size-wise though; it’s pretty darn small. I can walk from one end to the other in just under 40 minutes. Most people live in apartment buildings that are built one next to the other but there are houses in the outer part of the city called chalets.

I would describe the people here as middle-class society and being extremely social, hospitable and friendly people.

Although being one of the lesser-known capital cities in Spain, it offers most of the main necessities any city needs such as shopping malls, movie theaters, a variety of shops, a train station and not one but three McDonalds.

I can’t talk about Albacete and not mention la feria, the annual fair that takes place September 7^th – 17^th. This fair has beginnings dating back to three centuries ago. In fact the city celebrated its tercentennial fair in 2010. That’s over 300 ferias! For ten days the city takes a break from the daily routine of work and school and dedicates a good chunk of the day (or night in my case) spending it at the recinto ferial or fairgrounds to eat, drink and meet up with friends.

Over all, Albacete is a very comfortable city to live in and has most of the things I could ask for in a small city. I would like to give you a warm welcome to the place I now call home.